Hailing from Montreal, Canada, Islands is a 6 piece band founded in 2005 by The Unicorns co-founder/songwriter Nick Thorburn (often performing as "Nick Diamonds") and drummer J'Aime Tambeur. Following the untimely disbandment of The Unicorns as they teetered on the brink of breaking through, Islands' debut release entitled Return to the Sea, with its quirky sounds and refreshing, catchy melodies includes collaborations with members of Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade. This debut picks up where The Unicorns left off and takes the music to new heights without departing from The Unicorns' unique if sometimes peculiar appeal.
Islands plays beautiful pop melodies, intertwined with elements of afro-pop, hip hop, and indie rock, among others. One of the main gimmicks of the band is the recorder brought over from The Unicorns, which is prominently featured in the song "Jogging Gorgeous Summer." Nick Diamonds rules over the band with an iron fist. Other members include: Patrice Agbokou, Aaron Harris, Alex Chow, Sebastian Chow, and Patrick Gregoire. Return To the Sea, their rookie effort, was released on April 4th, 2006 on the brand new label, Equator Records, and Rough Trade in the UK. Digital Distribution handled by Alpha Pup.
On May 20, 2008, Islands released its second album, Arm's Way, on Anti- Records.
On September 22, 2009 Islands released their third full length album, Vapours.
On February 14, 2012 Islands released their fourth full length album, A Sleep & A Forgetting.
On September 17, 2013 Islands released their fifth full length album, Ski Mask
On May 13, 2016 Islands released their sixth and seventh full length albums, Should I Remain Here, At Sea? and Taste.
Winged Beat Drums
Islands Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the dark ages
When I heard you cry
Born at the wrong time
You wanna dig a hole
You don't wanna stay
You say "I know a way
Then you blotted out the sun
With your opposable thumb
But there's no where to run
That's where you're coming from
Flapping your gums
Like a winged beat drums
I know your flight path
More than anyone does
Cousin
You said "life's not a gas
It's a gas chamber"
I know you'll follow your nose
To where the vapor goes
You feel energetic
When you foam at the mouth
The thing that wears you out
An anesthetic
Just run
Run away
You can jump
You won't hurt your legs
Don't come away
From the ledge
And float away
I will float away
I will (float away)
I will (float away)
I will (float away)
I will (float away)
Flapping your gums
Like a winged beat drums
I know your flight path
More than anyone does
Cousin
I feel sympathetic
Think I know what it's like
Think I like pissing away
A diuretic
I'm sick of laying down
Sick of playing dead
Sick of being sick
Think I'm sick in the head
Run away
I will run away
Run away
I will run away
Flapping your gums
Like a winged beat drums
I know your flight path
More than anyone does
Cousin
The lyrics of "Winged Beat Drums" by Islands talk about a person who feels out of place in their current time, referring to it as the dark ages. The singer of the song knows this person well, possibly a family member or close friend, and recognizes their tendency to want to escape and find a better way of life. The person talks about knowing a way out, but the singer sees through this as just talk, recognizing their flighty nature.
The song also touches on the person's nihilistic worldview, describing life as a gas chamber and paradoxically finding energy in the weariness that comes with it. The singer expresses sympathy for this person, recognizing that they too have their own struggles with feeling sick of life and wanting to escape. The repeated chant of "run away" implies a desire to escape from their current circumstances, but ultimately the song's conclusion of "I will float away" suggests a bittersweet resignation to a fate unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
You were all grown up
You had already matured
In the dark ages
During a time of ignorance and superstition
When I heard you cry
When I first heard your pain
Born at the wrong time
Born out of sync with the universe
You wanna dig a hole
You want to escape reality
You don't wanna stay
You don't want to face your problems
You say "I know a way
You claim to have a solution
Then you blotted out the sun
Then you blocked out the light
With your opposable thumb
Using your intelligence and power
But there's no where to run
But there's no escape
That's where you're coming from
That's your starting point
Flapping your gums
Talking too much
Like a winged beat drums
Like a noisy bird
I know your flight path
I understand your intentions
More than anyone does
Better than anyone else
Cousin
Informal greeting
You said "life's not a gas
You claimed that life is not enjoyable
It's a gas chamber"
It's a place of danger and death
I know you'll follow your nose
I know you'll go wherever your instincts take you
To where the vapor goes
To the place of illusions and confusion
You feel energetic
You feel excited
When you foam at the mouth
When you get passionate
The thing that wears you out
The thing that exhausts you
An anesthetic
A temporary relief
Just run
Just escape
Run away
Flee from reality
You can jump
You can take the risk
You won't hurt your legs
You won't suffer physical pain
Don't come away
Don't move away
From the ledge
From the edge of danger
And float away
And drift away
I will float away
I will drift away too
Flapping your gums
Talking too much
Like a winged beat drums
Like a noisy bird
I feel sympathetic
I feel compassionate
Think I know what it's like
I believe I can relate
Think I like pissing away
Think I enjoy wasting
A diuretic
A substance that causes frequent urination
I'm sick of laying down
I'm tired of being defeated
Sick of playing dead
Tired of pretending
Sick of being sick
Tired of feeling miserable
Think I'm sick in the head
Think I have mental issues
I will run away
I will escape too
Contributed by Luke G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sean Marin
Islands. You're back!
fulltruth
surprisingly found myself liking this. good job coming down to earth, islands.
Epirc
That's a sick guitar.
Isis Capistrano
Bom :)
maciej skerka
reminds me of Metronomy somehow.
Shelagh McCorry
Monday night... downstairs at the Marquee - cousin Nick!!! : )